Your Guide to Landing an Entry-Level Marketing Job

A career in marketing can be a great option for you if you enjoy being creative, strategic, and innovative, as well as using technology to reach consumers. Some of the latest trends in this industry involve marketing automation software and artificial intelligence to improve marketing efforts.

A marketing career offers many options, with many specialisations from content marketing and digital marketing to advertising. With multiple pathways to enter the profession, starting in a junior or entry-level position is common to gain experience and transition to a more senior role. 

Learn more about different types of entry-level marketing jobs, how to prepare to enter the industry, and how to expand your qualifications once you're there.

What is marketing?

Marketing is how companies attract customers by promoting and selling their products and services. The term is broad and includes market research and analysis, advertising, as well as delivering a message through digital means, wording, and branding. Marketing can be further broken down into types or strategies:

• Social media marketing: Using social media to promote and introduce products and services

• Influencer marketing: Collaborating with credible individuals who endorse products through social media, links, and online content

• Content marketing: Creating and sharing material online with blogs, videos, articles, and social media posts to promote products and services

• SEO marketing: Optimising the on-page and backend elements of a website or web page so that it ranks at or near the top of a search engine results page

• Affiliate marketing: Collaborating and compensating a third party to promote products and services

• Email marketing: Promoting products and services via email by creating a mailing list

• Telemarketing: Marketing products and services via the telephone, either with warm leads or cold calling 

• Public relations marketing: Building a public company image to facilitate marketing activities

7 entry-level marketing jobs

Now that you know the different types of marketing, it’s time to think about the type of role that interests you. Consider the following entry-level marketing jobs, spanning the various aspects of the field, and use the details included in each description as a starting point for conducting your own marketing career research.

1. Marketing coordinator

Average UK salary (Glassdoor): £29,661 [1]

A marketing coordinator supports the marketing department's projects and goals. Tasks may include coordinating marketing and community events, assisting with different campaigns, creating content, conducting research, and monitoring campaign performance. You may need a bachelor's degree in marketing, sales, advertising, psychology, or a related field, plus relevant experience, to take on this role.

Who's hiring?

As of July 2024, Glassdoor's top-rated companies hiring marketing coordinators include Arup, Walt Disney, Google, and Asda.

2. Social media assistant

Average UK salary (Glassdoor): £23,319 [2]

As a social media assistant, you support the social media manager and team in delivering marketing campaigns across social media platforms. Your job will involve tracking results, interacting with followers, and working with content creators to grow a company’s audience. You may need a bachelor's degree in marketing, business, advertising, digital or social media marketing, or a related field, and experience using social media to promote brands. You may also consider an apprenticeship to earn while you learn.

Related job titles: Social media specialist, social media coordinator

Who's hiring?

As of July 2024, Urban Outfitters, Sainsbury’s, ASCA, and Boohoo Group were among the companies hiring social media assistants.

3. Copywriter

Average UK salary (Glassdoor): £30,915 [3]

As an entry-level copywriter, you might work in-house for a media agency or company. Responsibilities include writing content across blogs, social media, ads, and websites and collaborating with creative, product, and other teams within a company to generate winning messaging.

Related job titles: Content creator, content writer

Who's hiring?

As of July 2024, Glassdoor's top-rated companies hiring copywriters include Freelancer, Harrods, PHMG, and TMW Unlimited.

4. PR assistant

Average UK salary (Glassdoor): £31,646 [4]

A PR assistant will assist in writing content to maintain a company’s reputation and ensure the media portrays the facts accurately. Someone in this role may also identify media opportunities and build a network of media contacts. To get a job in this role, you may need a degree or postgraduate course in public relations, communications, marketing, or a related field, along with some experience in PR or corporate communications. 

Related job titles: public relations coordinator, public relations intern

Who's hiring?

As of July 2024, Glassdoor's top-rated companies hiring PR assistants include Google, Amazon, Marks and Spencer, and Burberry.

5. SEO specialist

Average UK salary (Glassdoor): £32,876 [5]

An SEO specialist compiles keyword data for search engine optimisation, creates SEO-friendly content, monitors site traffic, and stays up-to-date on SEO trends and best practices. To get a job in this role, you may need a bachelor's degree in marketing, computer science, communication, or a related field and familiarity with SEO strategy. 

Related job titles: SEO analyst, SEO consultant

Who's hiring?

As of July 2024, Glassdoor's top-rated companies hiring chief SEO specialists include Google, Add People, Expedia Group, and Wise.

6. Media planner

Average UK salary (Glassdoor): £28,928 [6]

A media planner determines which platforms can best advertise a brand or product. In this role, you may collaborate with other teams to maximise the campaign's performance on different media outlets, such as television, billboards, radio, or the internet. To work as a media planner, you’ll generally need a foundation degree, a higher national diploma, or a degree in a relevant subject such as advertising and marketing, psychology, business, communications, or media studies.

Related job titles: media supervisor, media buyer

Who's hiring?

As of July 2024, Glassdoor's top-rated companies hiring media planners include MediaCom, Dunnhumby, OMD, and Mindshare.

7. Market analyst

Average UK salary (Glassdoor): £31,580 [7]

A market analyst examines market conditions and monitors trends to help companies market their products effectively. In this role, you may help to identify marketing opportunities and analyse campaign performance. To work as a market analyst, you generally need a degree, or in some cases, a postgraduate degree in maths and statistics, data science, business, or marketing. 

Related job titles: business analyst, market researcher

Who's hiring?

As of July 2024, Glassdoor's top-rated companies hiring market analysts include JP Morgan, UBS, BNP Paribas, and Intercontinental Exchange.

How do I prepare for an entry-level role in marketing?

Entering the marketing industry involves gaining some experience and qualifications. You can start your career path by choosing from many entry-level marketing roles and then transition to more senior positions later. To maximise your chances of being awarded an entry-level position, consider taking the steps below.

1. Gain marketing experience.

To determine the kind of experience that’s most valuable to you, think about the area of marketing that interests you the most. For example, you might enjoy writing, designing, advertising, or analytics. Ways to gain experience include:

• Internships with businesses, organisations, or charities to gain on-the-job experience

• Taking on freelance or contract work

• Completing projects on your own, including starting a blog, creating an interest-based Facebook group, or hosting a fundraising event

2. Get a marketing education.

Entry-level marketing positions are competitive, and even though they are an entry point into a profession, they typically require a certain level of education. Some companies may accept someone without a degree, but having one is usually a minimum requirement, especially if you want to advance to senior roles.

A degree in marketing, public relations, communication, or a similar field will typically be advantageous; however, employers are looking for relevant skills and experience, so other degrees will often suffice. Since marketing is broad, you may pursue a more technical career, such as analytics, where a computer science degree would be a good match. 

If you don’t have a degree or are in an unrelated discipline, taking a marketing course will show your interest and knowledge.

3. Build marketing skills.

As you conduct your job search and gain experience and education, build the marketing skills that today's employers are looking for. A good way to stay informed about skills in demand is to monitor job listings on sites like Glassdoor, Indeed, ZipRecruiter, or LinkedIn and sign up to receive job alerts. Prioritise the skills mentioned often for the job title you most want to fill. Also, consider building versatile marketing skills that you can apply to various roles, such as digital marketing, social media marketing, email campaigns, content creation using different marketing channels, and marketing analytics.

According to Statista, employers in the UK are seeking out marketing professionals who have the following essential skills [8]: 

• Data and analytics

• Performance marketing

• Content and copywriting

• Social media

• E-commerce

4. Build a professional network.

Networking is very valuable for connecting with other professionals in the marketing industry. Knowing someone in the field could help you gain an internship, a volunteer role, a freelance project, or even your first entry-level marketing job. You can network with people you know, sign up for networking events, network online with websites like LinkedIn, or join social media business groups.

Credentials to advance your marketing career

If you have already started your marketing career, you may be looking to progress further. You can earn a certification, certificate, a degree in marketing or specialise in an area that complements your experience. These credentials, in addition to in-house training and other professional development efforts, can enable you to progress into such roles as: 

• Senior or lead marketing coordinator

• Marketing manager

• Marketing director

• Brand manager

• Vice president of digital marketing

• Chief marketing officer

Professional certificates

Earning marketing certificates and digital badges can enhance your ability to qualify for promotions or change jobs as you progress in your field. The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) and Google Analytics Academy offer internationally recognised certificates, including the entry-level Foundation Certificate in Professional Marketing and the executive-level Certificate of Professional Digital Marketing.

On Coursera, pursue a number of Professional Certificates offered by highly competitive organisations to boost your knowledge and employability, such as Social Media Marketing by Meta and Digital Marketing and E-Commerce by Google.

Certifications

A number of other certifications are available that can add weight to your resume and demonstrate your skills in a particular area. Great examples include:

• Digital Marketing Institute certifications

• OMCP Digital Marketing Certification

• Hootsuite Academy certifications

• Google Ads certifications

• HubSpot Content Marketing Certification

Degree-level training

A degree in marketing, communications, or a related subject is often useful and may be essential for some roles if you want to advance in your career. To accommodate your schedule as you pursue your career, consider the flexibility of an online degree, such as a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from the University of London.

Also, consider degree-level training, which may take less time than earning a bachelor's or master's but exposes you to graduate-level learning.

The CIM also offers degree-level diplomas in marketing, including professional marketing, sustainable marketing, and digital marketing at the undergraduate level and a diploma in professional marketing at the master's level. 

Get started in marketing with Coursera.

Taking online courses can be a great way to build job-ready marketing skills and discover career possibilities. To build a foundation in this field, consider taking the Introduction to Marketing course offered by Wharton, the University of Pennsylvania, on Coursera. You can learn branding, customer-centricity, go-to-market strategy, and more.